Naruto: Grand Order
by TheWriteFiction
Summary: Through a series of surprising and unexpected circumstances, the Holy Grail ends up finding its way into Naruto's world, where it quickly falls into the hands of the jinchuriki. Almost immediately after which a new conflict arises in the Elemental Nations, as warriors from a whole other world start showing up, all of whom want a piece of our young hero... literally. NarutoHarem
1. Academy Arc - Prologue

**Author's Note:** My latest chapters of Naruto: Maoyu inspired me to write this.

I figured, since I was drawing on historical figures to add to my fanfic, why not do a proper crossover with the series that started it all! Fate/Stay Night and all of its other titles, all pushed into one story.

Here's my attempt at a Naruto/Fate crossover.

* * *

 **NARUTO**

 _ **Grand Order**_

 _Prologue_

OOO

" _The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by." – Felix Adler_

OOO

(Seven years after Kyuubi)

Sadness, loneliness, and boredom.

These were three of the only words Naruto could come up with that accurately matched the sensations that he was experiencing at that moment. Despite the fact that he was currently walking down one of _Konohagakure's_ busy main strips on a warm, Saturday afternoon, surrounded by dozens of people out and about with their families and friends, the blond still felt undeniably and unquestionably despondent. And it wasn't the first time he was experiencing this either.

By his count, this was probably the second longest stretch of isolation he'd had today. And this wasn't counting the previous stretches he'd had over the past week. At one point Naruto thought he'd managed to break the slump when he kindly attempted to return a ball to a little boy who'd accidentally dropped it while walking past him alongside his parents. The second he tried to approach them though, the group quickly hurried away from him as fast as they could without breaking into a full-on run.

The moment had left the youngster standing there feeling both bewildered and emotionally wracked, as not only did he fail to return the child's ball to him, but the parents had also fled while leaving behind a few parting and hurtful words in their wake.

" _Stay away from that boy, son."_

" _Huh? Why, dad?"_ the innocent youngster had asked.

" _Trust me. He's nothing but trouble,"_ the mother replied. _"You're not to speak with him or go anywhere near him. Do you understand?"_

" _Y-Yes."_

" _That's my boy."_

Though they'd initially thought Naruto had been well out of earshot when they said all of this, the blond was still able to hear the very mean whispers the parents had discreetly shared with their son.

Their words cut through Naruto's chest like a wave of kunai and left the youngster in a state of utter grief and melancholy. After dropping the ball and letting it roll off to the side of the road to be forgotten, the youngster then took to wandering the hidden leaf's crowded streets once again- with his hands in his pockets and an incredibly glum look on his face. All the while he was left contemplating to himself why things were the way they were, and why his life was so bad in comparison to everybody else.

Why did everyone in this village seem to hate him?

Why did everyone he tried to get close to push him away?

Why didn't he have any parents?

Why didn't he have any friends?

 _ **Why was he alone?**_

These were just some of the many questions that Naruto found himself asking every time he wound up walking the streets of his booming hometown. The words just spun circles around his head, repeatedly disappearing into the recesses of his head before reappearing at the very forefront of his consciousness- reminding him constantly of the unfortunate circumstances he'd been afflicted with.

Granted there were many who were probably far worse off than him in other parts of the world, all Naruto knew was that his situation was pretty damn poor… and he _hated_ it.

He'd even sought out answers to the questions for himself on a number of different occasions. A few times Naruto had tried asking the villagers he ran into why they looked down on him and treated him like garbage. But despite all his pleading, crying and shouting, all he received in return were a collection of cold stares, cold shoulders, and the occasional careless shove to the chest. Heck, at one point, a shopkeeper had gone so far as to push him out of his store while he'd been admiring some of the festival masks that were on display. Naruto didn't even have the opportunity to ask the angry manager why before he was promptly warded away.

Thankfully this had happened only one time, which made the blond glad that being forced out of public areas and shops wasn't a regular occurrence. However, that didn't mean the rest of his existence wasn't a complete bundle of misery.

It'd been like this for Naruto for as long as he could remember. Understandably the entire experience had left him feeling incredibly jaded and perpetually broken up about living in _Konohagakure_ , as everywhere he seemed to go he was always met with the same reactions over and over again. Either complete and utter separation or cold expressions of indifference.

It was like he was a piece of trash tumbling on the wind- a presence that nobody acknowledged or even cared about in the slightest. The thought of it brought a sickening sensation to the pit of Naruto's stomach, which only served to increase the displeasure and discomfort he was feeling in that moment.

For whatever reason, this particular period seemed several times gloomier for him than the last.

He was also feeling quite hungry, which made him feel even more under the weather.

Picking up the scent of something delicious hanging in the air, the spiky haired youngster in the white shirt and green shorts stopped in his tracks and craned his head across the road, where he quickly spotted the cozy little shop famously known all around the village as _Ichiraku's Ramen._

Having visited this store a number of times before, Naruto was able to make out the distinct, intoxicating aroma of miso ramen broth seeping out through the cracks of the curtains hanging over the entrance to the establishment. The scent's caress almost lifted the youngster's body off the floor with its irresistible tang, with the pull from his senses also causing his toes to curl and his hair to stand on end.

Seeing that the seats were already filled with a number of adult patrons- with the exception of one stool at the end of the bar- the blonde's immediate thought and instinct was to go over there and join them for a late lunch. However, after checking his pockets and the allowance he had left over from the beginning of the week, which was only about a couple of ryo, Naruto realized that he didn't have enough for a single serving. The audible growl from his guts, punctuated by the clamor of the busy streets around him, caused the whiskered boy to slump forward in disappointment.

Figuring it would be best to save the money that he still had for tomorrow, the youngster slowly turned heel and jogged in the direction of the outskirts of the village- to the hills and forests resting alongside the _Hokage Monument_.

"Guess there's only one thing I can do, dattebayo," Naruto said to himself, his youthful face brightening somewhat with anticipation.

Since his options for purchasing food in town were extremely limited, the blond decided to go for the more affordable option instead. Whenever he was low on funds and scraping towards the end of the working week for his next payment, the blond would always run out to the woods, and go fishing and scavenging for his meals.

OOO

(Sometime later)

Naruto's occasional trips out into the wilderness of his village also gave the youngster the opportunity to brush up on the ninja skills he'd been practicing at the academy. Though his abilities overall were quite dreadful when compared to the rest of his companions, a fact that often brought about a great deal of frustration to the blond, he was still pleased with what he'd been able to accomplish thus far.

Really, the only tangible things he could take pride in out of his questionable repertoire of skills was his incredible physical strength and endless bouts of stamina.

It was these two aspects that the whiskered blond spent the remainder of his afternoon testing out in the woods. After sprinting through the golden grass fields lying just in sight of the village's main mountain, Naruto then began running the makeshift obstacle course that he had spent weeks forging through the forest. Hurtling over one boulder after another, as well as overcoming the numerous trees covering the landscape, the blond would intermittently pelt rocks towards the painted targets he had hanging from the branches and hidden behind bushes. From the way they were dented and faded in multiple places, it was clear he'd used them quite a bit, which became even more apparent due to how well he placed each shot.

The loud clacks of pebbles striking the circular boards rang true throughout the woods, adding an extra beat to the environment that could only be heard from a person hard at work.

Eventually, after performing his practice run of the vicinity and crossing the waterfall, Naruto eventually stumbled across a large grove. Here, the kid managed to get his hands on several mushrooms growing amongst the foliage, along with several other herbs and vegetables that were often found in this environment. Being able to tell the poisonous plants from the safe ones, the youngster was able to gather quite an array of flora in his arms, before then making his way over to the nearby stream.

Managing to find the rod and lure he had hidden away in an empty log, the blond settled in for a quiet afternoon of fishing. That hour he spent by the brook allowed him to pull up a whole swath of fish, which he quickly piled up and brought to the top of the tallest, rocky outcrop in the area. After gutting and deboning his catch with surprising proficiency, he then set them onto stakes and got a small campfire going, where he then positioned the fillets around the pit, and began cooking them for dinner.

The shroud of night soon crept over the horizon to replace the light of evening, and Naruto- feeling somewhat reinvigorated and refreshed following his little outing to the forest- was able to enjoy a good, hearty meal of river food and mushroom soup. From the way he was able to come up with all of this by himself, without the aid or assistance of any adults, showed just how capable he was at surviving out in the world on his own. Despite all appearances, the youngster was incredibly resourceful and bright when the situation called for it- though he often didn't seem like it in public.

In the privacy of his own personal space however, isolated away from the rest of the village, Naruto was able to show his true colors and his true strengths.

Of course, since he was still growing, there was still much about his habits and behavior left to be refined. Case in point…

Biting into his fish kebabs with a finesse comparable to that of a hungry wolf, the youngster with blue eyes and blond hair gorged on freshly cooked meat and herbal soup for the next hour. Sitting there, cross-legged in front of the open flames, while the sky above him darkened and gave way to the sparkling veil of night, Naruto soon found himself in a rather surprising, but familiar scenario.

Though the young orphan had often come out here to hunt, train and ponder over certain things in the past, as the boy sat there staring into the embers of his fire, Naruto was suddenly reminded of the afternoon Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had ventured out here to join him.

Having taken up the guise of an old hermit living in the hills, the village leader had stealthily approached the child with the intent of spending time with the orphan and checking to see if he was alright. After introducing himself as a kindly stranger and playing along with the role of a friendly villager, the pair then sat down together and spent the rest of the evening talking, sharing the fish Naruto had caught, and gazing up at the stars.

After setting down his empty bowl of mushroom stew and staring up at the vast, clear skies above him, the child couldn't help but smile as he replayed the entire scene in his head. It was one of the few memories that the youngster could fondly look back on without regret, as it was one of those times that allowed him to forget about most of the troubles he'd been experiencing in his life- if only for a short while. This wasn't just because of how surprising and enjoyable the moment had been, but because of how significant it was to the youngster and how deep the conversation became.

Naruto remembered how the Third had told him about the billions of stars floating through the cosmos above him, and how each of them was just like their world's sun- each one blazing as brightly as the other. Their lights wove an endless tapestry of infinity before them and stretched far beyond any known distances and futures.

" _This world is boundless… both in scope and in possibility,"_ Hiruzen's comforting voice echoed through Naruto's head, causing the youngster to blink as his eyes shimmered at the sight of the Milky Way belt floating over him. In that instant, his irises seemed to reflect the light of all those he could count within his gaze. _"No matter how old or young we are… every single one of us are but infinitesimal specks in a much greater plain. The only question that we can truly ask ourselves is how much more brightly we'll be able to shine amongst the others."_

On the morning following this chance encounter, while he was up on the _Hokage Monument_ , Naruto had come to realize that if he wanted to be recognized and acknowledged by the people around him, to make a big enough impact in the world, and change people's perspectives of his character, he just needed to keep on trying and keep on being the best self he could possibly be. No matter what he did and no matter what waited for him in his future, he was always going to be him, and no one else. This realization had helped to cheer the youngster up and move forward from that day, bound by a newfound sense of strength and purpose.

Nonetheless, after the rather weary stretch he'd had to endure today, the child realized that the path to making his tiny speck of light the brightest of them all, was going to be a long and arduous one. Though Naruto was confident enough in his strength that he would be able to accomplish this someday, he just wished that he had at least one person in his life that could be there with him- to support him and encourage him.

Simply having the Third's words of wisdom, as well as Teuchi and Ayame's counsel in those brief moments of levity, simply weren't enough for him. Not by a long shot.

The loneliness he felt every day- at home, at school, and out on the streets- weighed so heavily on his person and spirit that it hurt. Even during moments of pure respite, when nothing particularly bad had occurred to him in the hours beforehand, the child couldn't help but clutch his chest or shed a lone tear of inner pain.

A saddened look remained on Naruto for a few minutes as he continued to gaze up at the stars. But as he watched them twinkle and gleam against the black shade of canvas upon which they were fixed, his frown slowly morphed into an expression of resolve and fortitude. Reaching up towards the shining curtain above him and clasping the heavens within the palm of his hand, the youngster inhaled.

 _Companionship_. _Friendship_. That's what he wanted right now. That's what he needed more than anything. If he was going to start working towards a better future and making a difference in his world- to brighten his flame and become someone people could look up to and depend on- he knew it had to start there. To simply have the presence of another who could fill the void of loneliness in his heart, to help guide him along the right road, and make him feel like he was striving towards something just and true, would be just the kick he needed to make his first step.

It didn't matter if he had dozens of friends or just a few. If it was just one _close_ friend… a good friend and a kind friend… someone who could be there for him in the best and worst times… that would be enough.

"Things will get better. I know it will. All I have to do is make it happen," the boy said to himself, at the same time allowing his hand to drop to the ground next to him as the fire in front of him gave a loud snap against its tinder. "I just wish I wasn't alone anymore…"

In that moment, the heavens themselves suddenly answered his call.

All of a sudden, Naruto's eyes widened when, up in the night sky, he saw one of the stars in the belt suddenly begin to pulse and brighten from the others surrounding it. At first the blond had to rub his eyes, as he thought for a moment that he was seeing things. But when he looked back seconds later, he suddenly saw the bright light suddenly intensify, before a massive explosion- similar to a supernova- suddenly went off in the sky directly above him.

At first the boy's jaw dropped when he saw the ring of multi-colored space dust ripple out from the source of the detonating star, which caused his head to crane around as the wave washed across the stratosphere and swept over the village like a freak aura borealis. After seeing the wave vanish over the horizon, Naruto quickly looked back towards the heart of the cataclysm where, amidst the bright, fiery clouds billowing out from the recently combusted celestial body, he saw a massive hole suddenly form.

This gravitational anomaly caused the burning clouds to separate with a loud boom, which ended moments later when the abnormality finished expanding. What inevitably resulted from the seemingly cataclysmic explosion in the sky was a massive hole in the sky about several kilometers across, an event that was only visible thanks to the fact that all of the clouds surrounding the object seemed to fallen into a gentle orbit of the variant- similar to the eye of a hurricane only much more defined.

To Naruto, it was probably the most bizarre and spectacular thing he'd ever seen in his entire young life. Though he could still see the stars glittering behind the anomaly, the sky itself looked like it'd been warped thanks to the appearance of the spatial hole. The entire thing had actually caused the boy to stand up and gape at the irregularity now resting amidst the heavens.

What followed next however would change Naruto's future forever.

As he gaped up at the hole in the sky, the youngster suddenly saw something gleam from the center of the wormhole in the clouds, which began coming closer and closer toward the earth. Watching the unidentified flying object for several seconds, the blond youngster then gave a loud gasp when he realized the ball of fire shooting down from the hole in the clouds was heading straight towards him, which prompted the youngster to take several steps back before running towards the edge of the hill.

Looking back after covering several paces, Naruto saw the shooting star was still plummeting towards his hill and seeming his very spot. His face reflecting a clear look of terror- as well as the light from the golden ball drawing ever closer to him- the blond gave a loud yelp of fright and ducked straight down. When he did, he covered his head with his hands in preparation for the impact to come, as well as his certain death.

A loud roar similar to a blast of wind filled then filled Naruto's ears when the small comet of light shot right over his head, before arcing down and dropping towards the grove at the bottom of the rocky hill. The whiskered-blonde's eyes blinked open in surprise when he realized he was still alive and, after glancing around his part of the rock, then turned his attention down to the clearing just in time to see the bolt of light settle atop the grass.

The moment it stopped, the bright sphere of light pulsed and vibrated on the spot, filling the dark forest with a warm, ethereal white glow.

At first completely baffled by the sight of the mysterious, unknown object, the previously terrified Naruto slowly stood up before cautiously making his way down the steps of his hill to investigate.

Of all the things he'd seen happen in the village in the last few years he'd been allowed to wander the community of his own free will- as it was typical for children living on their own- this was the most unique and amazing thing he'd seen. Obviously for a kid as curious and inquisitive as he was, there was no way he could possibly ignore the allure of such an interesting phenomenon- especially since it was glowing.

The fact that all of this just seemed to happen at his word made the situation all the more fascinating.

When Naruto managed to make it down to the clearing from his high spot on the hill overlooking the area, the youngster cautiously approached the shining aura. Drawing closer to it, the blond quickly noticed that the ball of light was actually ovular and very tall- about the same height as an adult male. The light it was also emanating seemed to generate a light wind from its epicenter as well, which could be seen from how the grass beneath the floating object seemed to blow and waft gently beneath it every time its form pulsed.

Stopping just a few feet from it, the whiskered-orphan swallowed nervously before attempting to reach out towards the tall object. Feeling the warmth emanating from it, Naruto stopped for a moment when he realized that the light may have had some mass to it. But before the child could confirm for himself exactly what kind of matter it was composed of, the child suddenly saw the surface of the light suddenly fracture and crack in multiple places, before crumbling away like the shell of an egg.

The shards cascading to the ground and disintegrating on contact caused Naruto to take an alarmed step back, as the boy unexpectedly found himself staring at the last thing he expected to come out of the husk of light.

From the crumbling shell, a beautiful young woman of average height and curvaceous build stepped out. However, unlike the adults Naruto remembered encountering before, this woman was completely white all over. She had white skin, long white hair like silk, and bright red eyes that seemed to glow just like the rest of her form. To compliment her regal appearance, the woman was also shrouded in a white dress with a short skirt that hugged at her body, exposing her midriff and the underside of her breasts, and a robe that hung from her arms and draped down her back like a cape. She also wore an impressive crown atop her head, which looked to be made of similar material to the rest of her garments.

To top it all off, the glowing sheets of fabric were decorated by red linings along the edges- particularly on the robe- and gold linings on the crown and her main dress. There were also a series of golden circles embroidered down the front of her uniform, with two red circles painted over her stomach- one over her solar plexus and another just above her belly button. This made it a total of seven circles.

Needless to say, she was probably the strangest and most mystifying thing Naruto had ever laid eyes on.

The instant the shell fell away and the celestial being stepped out of it, the blond orphan watched as her feet gently touched down on the grass. The funny thing was, she didn't even make physical contact with the green blades, as she seemed to float on air with the few steps she took. Stopping just a few feet in front of the boy, the woman seemed to take a quick survey of her surroundings, before her captivating red eyes looked down at the boy in front of her.

At first Naruto thought that he should run. A being coming down from the sky and appearing before him bathed in a heavenly glow didn't seem like something he would want to have a close encounter with. But for some perplexing reason, the moment he felt her eyes land on him, Naruto had a calm wash of warmth akin to serenity flood through him. All uncertainties and fears that he was experiencing in that very moment seemed to melt away, and were replaced by nothing but the unmistakable sensation of serenity.

In that moment, Naruto knew that this person didn't come here to harm him. Not in the slightest.

His beliefs were confirmed when, through the glow of her personal light that seemed to cause her robes to waft on a nonexistent breeze, the beautiful woman clad in white gave the whiskered youngster a gentle smile. Upon which she then brought up her right hand and held open her palm.

Naruto then watched in slight bewilderment as the young woman suddenly produced a golden ball of light out of thin air, which solidified and transformed into a golden sphere encased in stone, with what looked like a petroglyph of statues inside of it of several women surrounding a golden chalice. From what the boy could admire as he gazed upon the object, it was certainly a very impressive and captivating artifact.

All of a sudden, the woman spoke in a calm, soft voice that seemed to echo with many like her, _**"Take it."**_

Blinking as he looked up at the woman, the youngster glanced between her and the golden sphere a couple of times, before wisely deciding to accept it. Clasping it between two hands and feel the warmth of its glow radiate against his palms, Naruto then pulled the object closer and stared down at it.

After admiring the treasure for a moment, the orphan then looked back up at the woman. "W-Who are you?"

In response, the celestial being gave him a warm, serene smile, before leaning forward and gazing into his eyes. _**"You will be the one… to save us all."**_

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Huh? Save us all? What do you mean by-" He was unable to finish his question however, as the woman suddenly leant forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. When the blond froze in shock from the sudden gesture, he suddenly saw the woman's body brighten into a golden light, before suddenly dissipating in a cloud of ethereal embers. These embers enveloped the whiskered youngster, leaving him standing there in a state of complete bewilderment.

Upon seeing the air in front of him clear, Naruto continued gazing ahead of him for several moments. He was eventually brought back to the real world when he realized that the woman was no longer standing in front of him. After looking back a couple of times to see where she went, he then had his attention brought back to the sphere he'd been handed, which he saw vanish in a golden flash, which seemed to sink into both of his hands. Jumping back with a start as the glow faded into his palms, the youngster tested his hands to see if they were okay, before then looking ahead of him again.

"W-What in the world just happened?" Naruto asked, clearly baffled by what had just transpired. Scratching his head after seeing that the woman and the _thing_ she'd given him was nowhere in sight, the blond then looked back up at the sky. Unsurprisingly, the hole in the clouds was still there, glistening with the cosmos clearly framed within its center. The sight of its continued presence was enough to settle the blonde's rather troubled heart. Though it did leave him a bit suspicious. "Did I… Did I fall asleep at the top of that hill? Was this all just some weird dream?"

The kid tried pinching himself just to be sure. Sure enough, after a shot of pain bolted through his cheek, Naruto quickly realized that he wasn't dreaming when he saw that he was still standing in the same grove and the unnatural hole was still floating in the sky in the form of a ring of clouds. The sound of crickets chirping about him and the feel of the night breeze against his face also certified that he was still awake, and that everything that'd happened in the last few minutes, and certainly happened.

Figuring that maybe he should get out of there before any more balls of light started falling out of the sky to give him things, Naruto headed back to his cooking site, put out the fire, and quickly made his way out of the forest back into the village. As he did, he tried to put his mysterious encounter with the strange white lady out of his mind.

But even when he hit the edge of the village's administration district and started towards the main strip down the packed boulevard, the blond couldn't shake the feeling that something very significant had happened.

Exactly how important that moment was wouldn't become apparent until later that night. As soon as the boy stepped through the threshold of his lonely apartment at the edge of Konoha's West Residential district, and he was greeted by the dark, empty halls of his home, the youngster kicked off his sandals, threw off his shirt, and headed straight to bed.

XXX

 _(Naruto's Dream)_

 _The taste of sweat and blood remained ever-present in Naruto's mouth. It was a sensation that seemed both foreign and familiar to him at the same time, as the vessel that was the blond in question stood in the middle of a seemingly barren wasteland, surrounded by dusty, towering mountains scorched black from flames, and a field covered in swords of all shapes, sizes, and origins._

 _The weapons were impaled in the ground like stakes and stretched across the battlefield from one horizon to the next, like a glorified field of grass. The quantity of weapons present was literally unaccountable, as it seemed like they stretched on forever. But of course, they were but a minor detail compared to the rest of the valley surrounding the exhausted, battle-worn Naruto._

 _Bearing the stature and appearance of a young warrior seasoned by years of battle- the orphan of blond spiky hair, whiskers, and adorned in an orange battle jacket and dark pants- saw the telltale signs of mountains the size of asteroids hovering in the distance, a dying sun hanging high above them, and a tree bigger than any he'd ever seen before on earth, lying fallen on its side across whatever mountains were standing on his furthest vanishing point._

 _There was only one word to describe the unbelievable sights that lay before Naruto._ _ **Surreal**_ _. That was the only thing that sprang to the young man's mind as he reached up with a bloodied hand and smeared the blood trickling down his chin across his face. This caused a very beastly print to form across his chiseled mug, which quickly became framed by a hungry and excited grin._

" _You okay, Naruto?" a voice called out from the blonde's side, which prompted the young man to look across to his right flank. The moment the older orphan's eyes fell upon the hill next to him, he saw the distinct form of a young man with black hair and wearing grey battle robes with the Uchiha Clan symbol on his back rise up from the dirt and dust himself off- all the while clutching a katana in his right hand. "You still alive over there?"_

 _In response, the wounded Naruto, after yanking a golden knife out of his knee, tossed it aside. "So far, so good, Sasuke!" After seeing the teenager smirk back at him, the blond then snapped his gaze to his left, where he saw a third person- a beautiful girl with pink hair and wearing a red kimono gi, kneeing beside him. "What about you, Sakura-chan? Are you still able to fight with us? Or do you need to take a breather?!"_

 _The girl with short hair and green eyes, also bleeding from multiple wounds, grinned back at the boy and nodded, at the same time revealing a series of black tattoos running down her face from a diamond imprint on her forehead. "I'm always able to fight, Naruto-kun. These scratches are nothing that I can't manage… even if they were made by a shower of enchanted halberds."_

 _Hearing this caused the fire in the older Naruto's eyes to light up, as he quickly turned to the battlefield ahead of him. Straightening up and taking a fighting stance, the youngster spat the blood from his mouth and called out. "Alright! If we're still alive and kicking, then let's get this golden bastard!" The moment he shouted this, all three teens leant forward, took a step forward, before launching themselves across the sword-covered battlefield at blinding speed._

 _They moved so fast and with so much power behind their legs that their respective take-offs caused the ground that they'd been standing on to explode from the force._

 _Darting across the battlefield, the trio split up and converged on a lone hill. On it, a tall man of average stature, yet sporting impressive golden armor and golden hair, stood with his arms crossed and a very annoyed look on his face. The instant he saw the three young adults move from their assembly point and begin approaching him, the mysterious individual clicked his tongue in displeasure, before suddenly conjuring in the air around him a wall of golden seals that rippled into view._

 _The circles forming a protective dome around him as the three shinobi dove at him from three different angles, the annoyed warrior gave an irritated grunt. "Unsightly mongrels. Fall to your knees and perish with the rest of your kin!" With that gutsy yell, the man suddenly unleashed a wave of golden weapons from the portals around him, which shot through the air like missiles towards his three respective targets._

 _A deadly, aerial ballet then took place as Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura sprinted around the man's position- dodging, ducking, and avoiding the weapons that shot across the battlefield around them and tore the ground to pieces. Hills and mountains in the distance ended up smashed and pulverized by the waves of weapons that overshot their intended targets, with many of the weapons detonating on contact and causing explosions akin to low-yield nukes. The entire countryside around them was peppered by the countless blades the man launched from his sealing circles, which seemed to appear out of thin air around him on command._

 _After watching the trio sprint around him for a few minutes, dodging his weapons and even deflecting a few of them, the golden haired stranger snarled irritably before spinning around, where he saw Sakura charging at him with her fist drawn back and a yell leaving her lips. "Damn, mosquitoes! You dare raise your fists to a divine being like me?" In the blink of an eye, the warrior then summoned another series of portals in front of him and launched several more weapons at the girl, who'd just managed to come to within a few yards of him. "Disappear!"_

 _The blades shot through the air and seemed to impale the pink-haired kunoichi as she was sprinting towards the blond individual. However, much to the armored man's surprise, he saw his blades pass through an afterimage of her that continued running at him at full speed. When the weapons detonated against a cliff in the distance, the golden warrior took a step back in surprise._

" _What?!" Eyes widening in alarm, the man then growled when an explosion right next to him destroyed several of the portals he'd produced to defend his flank. When a powerful flash of blue lightning struck the ground a few feet from him, the golden warrior looked up in time to see a massive, glowing, purple suit of samurai armor with wings swinging down at him with a massive sword, with clear intent of cutting the diminutive figure down._

 _Standing in the crown of the enormous titan, Sasuke had was glaring down at the man with one eye blazing red with a Sharingan and another with a ringed purple eye of a similar design. With a roar, the young man made his attack on the warrior in gold._

 _In response, the lone enemy gave a yell and conjured out of thin air a series of chains, which snapped around the purple titan and wrapped it up in the blink of an eye. A blast of wind rippled out when the armored warrior's chakra sword shuddered to a halt, as the chains the golden man summoned out of the air stopped its movements dead in its tracks. This caused the user of the energy suit to balk in alarm, as he saw the spiky haired male below draw back his free hand and conjure up another series of glowing portals beside him._

" _Do you honestly believe your pitiful tricks and magics will be able to harm me? A being who resides amongst the heavens and stands above all of creation?!" the man barked furiously, at the same time tightening the chains binding the enormous Perfect Susanoo being wielded by the Uchiha, before preparing to hit it with another wave of enchanted weapons. "Well, you're wrong! Know your place, you miserable curs!"_

" _Know_ _ **your**_ _place, you pencil-haired prick!"_

 _The sleight towards his appearance caused the glowing warrior's eyes to widen in rage, as his gaze then snapped behind him. All of a sudden, a series of cloud bursts occurred throughout the air space all around him and across the entire battlefield. All of a sudden, an army of over a thousand teenage Narutos suddenly burst from the stratosphere of smoke and began raining down on their stationary target- all of them screaming at the tops of their lungs and all of them producing swirling blue spheres of energy between their collective hands._

 _As they swiftly approached the battlefield below, the spinning balls of blue chakra instantly grew to tremendous sizes and masses, with many of them crackling and sparking with different elements- including lightning, lava, magma, fire, earth, and water. The energy clusters appeared in the sky surrounding the golden warrior like a cluster of celestial bodies within a single sector, which then plummeted towards him like a barrage of oncoming comets._

 _Eyes widening slightly at the sight of the attacks, the man in golden armor roared as he spun about, waved his hand through the air, and summoned another wall of golden portals that protectively encompassed his position in a heartbeat. "Fool! Does your feeble mind think that your finite number of bodies can stand up to my infinite number of sacred treasures?! Come and try it, rabid dog! LET'S SEE HOW THAT WORKS OUT FOR YOU!"_

 _A blinding flash of golden light then occurred as the thousand portals that opened up around the golden man unleashed a massive torrent of weapons. The spears, swords, arrow and other projectiles were fired in every direction imaginable at the exact same time, tearing not only through the army of oncoming Narutos, but also the towering titan of Sasuke's Susanoo. The sheer number of attacks fired in that instant created an explosion similar to a thermonuclear warhead going off right in the middle of the battlefield, which tore apart the ground around them, shredded the Susanoo, and ripped a crater a kilometer wide in every direction._

 _Rubble and smoke belched out across the battlefield in a blast that could be seen from orbit of the dead planet. Of course, within the confines of the battlefield itself, the golden warrior that'd launched this defensive attack stood proud and proper amidst the vortex of debris. His expression showing no amusement at all, he quickly scanned the battlefield around him to see if he had finally done away with the pests he'd been battling._

 _However, the moment he saw the first cracks in the wall of smoke begin to form, his expression then became one of shock when his eye caught the flicker of a light behind him. When he wheeled about to face the oncoming light, the man saw the wall of smoke in that area part, and a still miraculously alive Naruto come charging out with his hands drawn back and a long claymore glowing brightly in his hands._

" _EEEEEEEEX-" the blond screamed as he sprinted right at the man in golden armor, who he saw take a quickly step back and reach out with his other hand._

" _MUTT!" the man roared, a portal opening up directly beside him and quickly depositing a new blade in his hand- one that had a black, cylindrical blade and resembled the base of a golden lance._ _ **"KAIRI KEN: EAA-"**_ (Sword of Rupture, Ea)

" _-CALIBUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"_

 _Both blondes struck out at one another at virtually the same time. The moment they did, their blades seemed to clash and generated an impact that caused a blinding white light to rip from both weapons, before the roar of an explosion greater than anything that'd taken place beforehand, split the planet in half…_

 _(End Dream)_

XXX

(Midnight)

Naruto woke from his slumber with a start. The kid sat up from his pillow so fast that the blankets that'd previously been splayed out over him flew across to the end of his bed, leaving him sitting there with his eyes wide, mouth agape, and his body clad in only a pair of blue underwear.

Panting as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dull moonlight seeping into his small apartment, the seven-year-old youngster looked about his place in alarm, before quickly reaching up with his hands to pat at his body. Feeling a bit of sweat on him, the child ignored it in favor of seeking out the injuries he recalled having been afflicted with over the course of that battle that'd been raging on that far off world.

Of course, it took him about a few pats and several seconds of collecting himself before the whiskered-youngster realized that it'd all been a dream. Upon looking down at himself and seeing that he had no gaping wounds or injuries to speak off, Naruto then exhaled in relief and looked back up with a half-lidded, exhausted gaze.

" _Man… what a crazy nightmare,"_ the kid thought.

For some reason, his day had been taking a lot of unexpected turns and detours down the routes less travelled. First he sees a star explode in the sky above him in a technicolor display never before witnessed by a mortal man. Then a gravitational wormhole forms in the clouds, which then proceeded to spit out a small meteorite of energy that almost took him and his hillside out. When that didn't happen and the projectile of light touched down in the clearing next to him, a woman of unknown origins suddenly steps out of it and gives him a golden ball as a present- before both of them disappeared.

And then, after all of that happened, he was now having dreams involving him in a more grown up form, fighting battles in what he assumed was some sort of apocalyptic future against a Demi-God.

Being the grounded kid that he was, Naruto knew right away that these dreams couldn't possibly be real in any way. After all, the blond couldn't recall ever visiting a place even remotely similar to the one he saw in his dream- a barren wasteland covered in swords, with a collapsed tree the size of a mountain lying in the distance, and a red sun hanging over the land, which seemed to be literally falling apart and spitting tectonic plates into the vacuum of space. That was just complete and utter lunacy. A fantasy brought on by a probable fever or a bad case of stomach flu.

The absence of any ailments on his person though led Naruto to conclude that he wasn't sick or ill in any way. However, the events that'd transpired over the course of his working day did lead him to believe that he was probably suffering from some kind of post-adrenaline stress or excitement. Perhaps surviving a close-encounter with an energy comet and then a magical girl, was likely resulting in some very fantastical, unconscious imaginings on his part.

"I need more sleep," the orphan mumbled, figuring that maybe a few hours of extra shuteye could help calm the demons that were plaguing him. He then leaned forward to grab his covers, only to stop when he noticed something weird on his stomach. "Huh? What's that?"

Looking down at his abdominals, which he remembered always being bear up until this point, Naruto saw that a series of black markings had appeared around his belly bottom, all of which were composed of very muddled looking kanji surrounding a black swirl. In addition to this, there were also a series of strange red tattoos, which unexpectedly emerged around the black seals, forming a web of interwoven patterns that defied all logic and translation.

Baffled at the tattoos that'd appeared on his person, the young academy student slowly lifted a hand and gently touched one of the markings. The second he did, all of the red symbols suddenly lit up at once, transforming into a hot, burning marking that caused Naruto to recoil and scramble back slightly across his bed till his back slammed against the headboard.

"Whoa!"

Before he could comprehend what was happening a loud bang in the room over followed by a flash of blue light from down the hall. Spotting the anomaly via its aura, the alarmed Naruto sprang from his bed and sprinted towards the source of the phenomenon. Passing through the hall, which he found was flooded with a warm wind of mist and embers, the youngster then came upon his living room where his couch and book shelf was. When his eyes landed in the middle of his main room, his body froze and his breath caught in his throat.

Standing in the center of his room, surrounded by a whirlwind of swirling blue light and energy, he saw a tall figure standing upon his floor space. Unlike the figure he witnessed before, this curvaceous, luscious figure was that of a woman, clad in silver and blue armor that did not originate from anywhere in the Elemental Nations, a red flowing cloak, and a silver helmet forged to resemble a lion's head, complete with a mane of fur surrounding it and the visor resting beneath its top jaw.

At first she stood at perfect attention within the room- her short blue battle skirt and battle cloak waving on the winds of her calling, which slowly dissipated within the cozy space of the blonde's domicile.

When the mist lifted seconds later and the woman turned about, Naruto felt the stranger's gaze fall upon him, which caused him to take a cautious step back.

Before he could ask who this person was, the sound of metal clacking suddenly filled the room, as the woman's chest armor plating shifted back. Plate by plate, the layers of her helmet retracted and dropped past her collar and shoulder guards, shifting into positions amidst her beautifully carved and elegantly engraved body-plating. When all of her helmet retracted, leaving only her head framed by her lion's mane, the face protection revealed to the young Naruto a woman of long blonde hair tied into a top bun, leaving two long bangs framing an exquisite face, capped by a pair of sharp, emerald eyes that were filled with life.

Above her immediate, striking beauty that shone with a sword-edge beauty of a seasoned warrior, the golden haired maiden also wore a crown atop her head.

Naruto felt his heart literally skip a beat the moment he saw the cool beauty's gaze fall upon him, which caused his once stiffened stance to relax.

The moment she looked upon the boy, the tall woman suddenly brought forth the long, spiraling, silver lance she had concealed beneath her robe, before driving the tip into the floor in front of her and puffing her chest out, which remained covered by her knight's armor.

"I am Artoria Pendragon: _King of Knights_ , _Ruler of Great Britain_ , and warrior of the Lancer Class," the woman spoke in a calm, yet womanly voice, punctuated by a tone of pride and confidence. When she saw the shirtless Naruto blink at her, the woman with golden locks allowed a gentle smile to cross her lips. "Tell me young man… are you my Master?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. Academy Arc - The King and the Orphan

**NARUTO**

 _ **Grand Order**_

 _The King and the Orphan_

OOO

" _A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway." – Christopher Reeve_

OOO

Even after an hour of moving about his apartment at the dead of night, throwing on clothes, and preparing himself a very impromptu and questionable breakfast, Naruto still couldn't help but think that he was somehow still dreaming. As visually striking and practical as all of the effects had been, the youngster, in all his naturally inbuilt common sense, found himself mentally trying to pinch himself awake as he sat at his kitchen-slash-dining room table across from his newly arrived, and unexpected guest.

It wasn't an ordinary visitor either mind you. The person that was currently sitting in the slightly worn seat on the other side of the eating area was a woman of both noble and divine bearing. Though she was no longer adorned in the silver plated armor that she had initially appeared to him in, the color of her skin and the spiritual aura she was exuding made it look as though she was glowing with unfathomable celestial qualities. Topped by her superbly carved facial features, emerald eyes that reflected an unbending resolve and focus, and the fact she had a buxom, womanly figure unlike any other to match, made her perhaps the most good-looking and beautiful thing sitting in this apartment.

The whole body part of course was kind of an understatement.

Since she had somehow magically removed all of her heavy plates of armor, leaving her in only a skin-tight, blue and gold one-piece suit similar to a swimsuit, which showed off her ample cleavage, as well as tight blue gloves that went up her arms like sleeves, thigh-high leggings, and armored boots, all attention was drawn to the fact that she was undeniably fit, curvaceous, and well-endowed.

She reminded Naruto of those women he remembered posing on the front covers of those adult magazines sold at the convenient store. Because he had a real-life example of one sitting right in front of him, this entire situation was making him feel a bit anxious and a little lost for words.

As he sat there, hands in his lap and a cup of cheap ramen open in front of him, the youngster timidly looked between his table and the woman sitting across from him nervously. When he saw she was still staring at him with her piercing green eyes, while also sitting in a very proper manner, fit for a woman of her obviously high stature, the young jinchuriki twiddled his thumbs before clearing his throat.

"Umm… do you… like the noodles?" Naruto asked, his voice laden with innocent curiosity. "Do they taste good?"

The woman's warm smile returned to her. "The pasta's texture is quite pleasant and the powdered flavoring has a very strong zest to it. In spite of the dish's simplicity, I still very much enjoyed this late night meal," she answered, while at the same time giving the boy a courteous nod of appreciation. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

"Y-You're welcome," the blond stuttered, feeling a momentary sense of delight flood through him before it was once again shut down by his overwhelming sense of nervousness. "I'm… happy to hear that."

When she saw the youngster hunch forward again in a clear sign of discomfort and uneasiness, Artoria quickly deduced what was probably troubling him. A deep breath in was shortly followed by a very considerate look crossing her regal visage, "I'm sure you have many questions you wish to ask of me."

In response, Naruto nodded his head meekly, "Y-Yeah. I do, actually. It's just-" He then paused for a moment when his mind did a momentary summersault over all the information it'd collated thus far, and the blank spots that came with it. "I don't really know where I should start."

Artoria giggled briefly at his adorable expression, "Allow me to clear things up for you then." Puffing her ample chest out as she straightened her back, the blond beauty proceeded to address the matters plaguing the young man's thoughts. "This may have already become apparent to you, but I'm not from your world. I originated from a completely different one… a reality that is entirely separate from your own."

"A different… _reality_?" Naruto murmured, not quite understanding what she meant by that. In order to clarify, he slowly raised his hand and pointed it towards the ceiling. "You mean, like… from a different star? Up there, in space?" He asked this because he remembered seeing one of them blow up a few hours before. That is if it actually did blow up. He wasn't a hundred percent sure about that.

Not to mention he still had the Third Hokage's talk with him still ringing through his head.

Artoria shook her head. "Not exactly." She then quickly worked out a way to better break it down for the child and raised a hand to form a cup. "The stars that exist in your space- including your sun and planet- belong to just one universe drifting through a much, much larger cosmos." She did this while circling a finger over her hand. "There are countless others- each one separated by their own spaces and dimensions." The woman then lifted the same hand and gracefully placed it over the center of her chest. "I come from a universe that, while similar to this one, exists much further away from this world's curvature. Think of it like leaves on a tree, where each leaf represents just one universe. Are you following me so far?"

"Oh. So… what you're saying is…" Naruto blinked into realization as he then brought his hands together to form a ball, " _My_ universe is one leaf on a big branch… and yours is another leaf that's sitting on a branch on a different part of the tree… right?"

"That's correct," Artoria replied with a nod, while at the same time giving the boy a warm look. "In my world, I come from a land where I once ruled as King, in a country called England. I lived and fought for that country, protected and governed its people, and died fighting for her liberty and status… all the while leaving behind many accomplishments and many regrets."

Naruto blinked, "Y-You died?" When he saw the woman nod, the whiskered youngster was then filled with a whole bunch of new questions. "Is that why you ended up here?"

"The reason why I'm here is due to a completely unique set of circumstances," the woman stated, her expression remaining unchanging as she gazed upon her host. "My spirit was brought to this plain and given physical form through the use of a magical ritual, invoked by a very powerful and ancient artefact known to us as the Holy Grail."

Naruto tilted his head, "Holy… Grail? What's that?" That was an object he'd never heard of before- not at school or on the streets. Was it… some kind of rock? Or a tomb? Or was it something else entirely. Based on the tone his guest was using, whatever it was it certainly sounded important.

"It's a religious holy relic that possesses the power to supposedly grant any wish to whomever manages to claim it. Back in my world, hundreds of wars and conflicts had been fought throughout our history by those seeking the Holy Grail. The name of the artifact itself has become legend. Even the mere mention of its presence has been able to insight great turmoil in multiple countries and cities," Artoria informed with a serious expression in play.

Nodding his head as his mind slowly processed the information given to him, Naruto then murmured thoughtfully, "Wow. So… I guess this Holy Grail _is_ something super important."

"Indeed," Artoria remarked as well.

The orphan then tilted his head at her, "Do you… know what the grail looks like?"

In response, the lancer-wielding royal shook her head, "I do not. But what I do know is that thanks to a series of catastrophic events and cataclysms that racked our world, the surface of our reality splintered, and sent the grail propelling across time and space- beyond the borders of our realm. It eventually found its way here, to this universe… and ended up falling into _your_ hands."

This news shocked Naruto. "Huh. M-My hands?" When he saw Artoria nod, the boy then backed up a little in his seat in a bit of a panic, "B-But I didn't… I mean. I don't remember… how could I have-" He then stopped when he remembered the events that'd transpired in the evening before and, after quickly looking down at his hands, gasped in realization. "Wait… that angel woman that fell from the sky near my camp fire. She… she gave me something in the forest. A-A golden ball… and it disappeared."

Artoria, smiling when she saw the boy finally realized what he had found, nodded to him, "The Holy Grail chose _you_ as its carrier… and made you one of the main candidates to receive a wish from it." When she saw the youngster look up at her in surprise, the blonde woman's expression then became serious once again. "At the time of the end, the grail exerted an enormous amount of mana in order to transport itself and physically appear in this world. In doing so it terraformed the surface of this reality to create the ideal environment for its presence. As of right now, the grail is in a state of extended hibernation. In order to reawaken its power, it requires a massive sum of magical energy to be absorbed… and the best way it can receive this energy is by allowing people from the past possessing great magical prowess and ability, to battle and defeat one another in contest. Once enough magical energy has been gathered, the grail will activate, and grant the person who possesses it and anyone else around it _one_ _wish_."

"Umm… okay." Upon listening to the woman's explanations and nodding her head at each key point she stated, the bewildered Naruto quickly clued in to what she had said and leant forward, "So… if I'm getting this right… then you're one of these super strong, magical people? Right?" That was also a new word to him. Right now he was just spit-balling his questions.

Artoria nodded, "Correct."

"And… you have to battle other magical people… in order for the grail to be refueled? After that, it will be able to grant wishes?"

"Correct."

"And that is… any wish you want? Right? Like… I can wish for… a million cups of ramen?" Naruto asked while throwing his arms out wide to illustrate his point.

His remark caused Artoria to giggle at his exclamation, "If that is what you desire most, yes."

"So then… since the grail is _here_ … and it brought _you_ here… does that mean others like _you_ from your world will be showing up in this one as well?" Naruto asked, uncertain of whether he was asking the right questions, but hoping that his instincts and basic reasoning was serving him well in this instance. This was an entirely new and foreign experience to him after all, and everything that he was learning was coming from a star that was not his own.

The situation was completely bizarre.

"Correct again," Artoria replied with a smile, "In order to execute its purpose, the grail has invited a swell of heroes and figures from my world's past to challenge each other for the right to possess it. It is a great honor to be selected, and will undoubtedly cement your place in history as a person of terrific virtue and esteem." It was then the woman's expression darkened and Naruto felt a sudden jolt of uncertainty wash through him. "Unfortunately, due to the dangerous nature presented by this grand competition, it is likely that _you_ are going to encounter all manner of individuals- both noble and malicious in origin- seeking the grail's power. The grail's will encompasses multiple realities after all… and though the people who will be coming to try and claim it will bear all knowledge of the contest's rules, whether they choose to abide is entirely up to them. Thus, in order to try and recover the grail for themselves, they will use all manner of heinous methods, strategies, and trickery in order to steal it. This, I'm afraid, puts your life in grave, _grave_ danger."

Naruto, feeling an ice cold chill run through his body, shivered at the thought of someone else other than the beguiling woman before him, coming and ripping the golden ball out from his body. His heartbeat raced and his breathing quickened, as a sense of abject terror and fear for his own mortality overtook his thoughts.

"I… I can be killed?" Naruto asked, "For the thing that I'm carrying?"

"Yes," Artoria replied, her expression saddening when she saw the boy finally realize his role in this- at least to some degree. "Despite being chosen as the grail's guardian… I'm afraid it does come with a heavy price. A miracle being granted by such an artefact doesn't come easy."

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, as well as clutching his chest tightly to stop his heart from beating through it, the young orphan closed his eyes and composed himself. Once he felt his stress and panic ebb away, if only for a moment, the child once more turned to his visitor and faced her bravely. His next words started with a stutter and slowly leveled out, "W-What about you? Why did the grail bring you _here_ … to me?"

Hearing the boy's scared question pulled Artoria back into a calmer mood. The golden-haired beauty smiled gently at the boy, while at the same time straightening her back and shoulders. "Aside from being an object of great power, the grail is also a very fickle personality. Not only did it decide to select you as its host, but it also granted you the honor of being a contestant in this tournament of heroes. As such, upon judging your worth and character, the grail opted to bring you a champion: someone who it believed would be able to help start you down the right path and prepare you for your many battles to come." She then tilted her head and grinned broadly at the boy. "Though I have no idea what the grail's plans are for the future, it apparently saw fit to choose _me_ as your servant and _you_ as my master. So I guess… you should be happy to have me as your guardian."

Nodding in understanding and also sprouting a smile, the young Naruto then nodded to the female king, "Is there a wish that you would like to ask from the grail, Artoria-san?"

Lowering her gaze for a moment in silent meditation, Artoria compiled her thoughts into something that was comprehensible, before then turning back to the boy who was her master. "Before I answer that question- to ascertain your worth as my master and the value of your character- could you please tell me what it is that you desire most in this world? What is your ultimate goal in life… or what is it that you want most?"

"What do _I_ want?" Naruto asked while pointing at himself. When he saw the woman nod in response, the youngster groaned and scratched his head. Looking off to the side, the young orphan spoke, "Well… since all the people in this village has hated me for as long as I can remember, I always dreamed of becoming somebody great and important- a person that everyone would look up to and respect."

Artoria tilted her head curiously, "Like a king?"

"W-Well… yeah. I guess. In this village we don't have a king. We have a person called the Hokage, who is the leader of the people, and the strongest and greatest shinobi around," Naruto informed, his voice growing with excitement as he beamed at the woman sitting across from him. "I want to become somebody like that: a person who is super strong, smart, and loved by everyone… with lots of friends. To become a shinobi even greater than the Hokage, who can protect people and help people… _that_ is my dream." Upon speaking his piece and seeing the woman stare at him in silence, Naruto then frowned a few seconds later and leaned back in his seat. "But wishing for something like that is dumb."

"Oh?" Artoria blinked in surprise, having not expected the youngster to do such a quick about-face following such a spirited declaration. "Why is that?"

Naruto then clenched his fists and held them up eagerly, "Because becoming a great Hokage is something that _I_ want to do on my own… with my own power. I want people to like me for who _I_ am… and respect me for _my_ strength. I don't want it to be given to me by some silly magical rock that can grant any wish you want." He then placed a hand over his chest and looked at the woman with a serious look in play. "My journey is my journey alone… and I don't need a wish-granting thing spoiling it. So if I want to wish for something, it's going to have to be after I become Hokage."

Somewhat bewildered by the boy's words and explanations of his ambitions, Artoria felt her spirit lift. Somehow, this child's expression of confidence and determination made the blond matriarch and warrior feel as though she was looking upon someone with purpose- an individual perspiring righteousness and a desire to achieve greatness. It wasn't a motivation born of ego or hatred either, but a need for recognition of his worth as an individual.

In her eyes, Artoria saw a child born low in life and raised through unfortunate circumstances, and is now striving to make things better for himself and for those around him. His want for a better life and his desire to help others, she saw incredible potential behind that, and in that the promise of a leader just like herself.

Upon seeing Naruto gaze at her through his strong blue eyes, burning with anticipation and verve, Artoria felt a warm smile cross her lips, which heralded a broad grin. Seconds later, the woman gave a big laugh of joy, which caused the jinchuriki to recoil slightly at her reaction.

Letting her amusement burst forth and hold for several moments, the heroic spirit then calmed herself and grinned across at the youngster seated before her. "You truly are an interesting child. To crave something so badly… yet to refuse the power of a wish-granting artifact in order to claim it… this is definitely reflective of an individual possessing a good heart and a righteous spirit." Rising from her seat and maneuvering around the table, Artoria then stood before Naruto and placed a hand firmly on her curvy hip. Sticking her chest out, the ruler then spoke in a big voice. "What is your name again?"

The child swallowed nervously as he looked upon the striking, sword-edge beauty before him, "N-Naruto… Naruto Uzumaki."

"Naruto? A fine name," Artoria chirped before smiling broadly. "The wish I want to make upon the grail is to save the world that I left far behind… and all those presiding within it. From what I can tell, your goals and ambitions align directly with my own… and I would be more than happy to join you on your quest. If you will have me."

Naruto, at first not knowing what to say, slowly slipped out of his chair to stand in front of the tall, mature woman. As he gazed up at the proud, beauty of a warrior, the child's thoughts soon brought him to the realization of what she was asking of him. This in turn led to him looking up at the blond with a hopeful expression in play.

"D-Do you really want to be with me?" Naruto asked, his voice sounding incredibly nervous. "For real?"

"Without a doubt," Artoria replied with a nod.

Swaying on the spot for a moment, the child's expression slowly put on a warm and, he was hoping, friendly smile. "Uhh… do you think that… umm…" Hesitating for a bit, the child then straightened up and spoke a little more bravely. "W-Would it be okay… would you like… to be my friend?"

Blinking in momentary bewilderment, Artoria quickly reverted back to her previous state and nodded, "I would consider it a great honor, Naruto-san." She then brought her right hand forward and held it out to him. "Of course I will be your friend."

Expression brightening, the seven-year-old orphan promptly held out his hand and grasped Artoria's firmly. Feeling the woman return his gesture by squeezing his smaller palm and fingers gently, in a way that only an older sister or family member would, Naruto felt as though a great weight was being lifted from his person. The sheer joy at finally having someone in the world accept him and his request for friendship- someone who was not only beautiful, but also kind and wise by every stretch of the imagination- washed through his heart a sense of undeniable glee and fulfillment.

In some small way, Naruto knew that the pact he'd made with Artoria was something truly special- and ran even deeper than a simple agreement between two individuals with different goals. From the way she seemed to return his smile with all the sincerity and warmth she could muster, the spiky-haired youngster knew that her reciprocation of feelings was genuine. The entire situation almost had him cry with joy, as evident by the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes, which he quickly blinked away and masked with his signature grin.

He was so caught up in bracing the woman's hand that he almost failed to spot the small, red mark that appeared on his forearm. A small sigil resembling a chevron and crown glowed across his skin, searing itself into his flesh before vanishing moments later.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Far away from _Konohagakure_ , deep in the heart of one of the many forests that dominated the lush, sweeping landscapes of _Hi no Kuni_ (Land of Fire), another pair of strange figures had unexpectedly appeared. In the wake of the unusual supernova that'd taken place over the large shinobi village many, many miles away, the two individuals had materialized in two separate, not too far from one another. When knowledge of the events and the reason for their appearance eventually manifested in their heads, the shorter of the two figures wasted no time in tracking down her compatriot, which then led to them sharing the same clearing.

Now, remaining hidden from view of any highways or roads, the two oddly-dressed people stood or sat where they were, gazing up into the sky through the canopy above.

Feeling a cool breath of wind brush against her bare skin, the figure that was perched on top of the tree gave a heavy sigh as she gazed up at the veil of stars twinkling high above. "So… it's gonna be like that, eh?" the woman spoke in a low, breathy voice, dripping with a very distinct, Irish accent.

When the clouds drifting over the sky pulled away and the light of the moon eventually fell over the first figure, it revealed a very tall, tanned, and incredibly curvaceous female lying across the branch. Bearing a large bosom and long, brown hair tied into a ponytail, the fit and slightly muscular babe was currently sporting a long, oilskin, duster brown coat, which she wore over a pair of raw hem, sexy denim hot pants, and shin-high brown boots with heels. In addition to her very skimpy outfit, she didn't wear any bra or top whatsoever. The only thing that covered her chest was a pair of suspenders that went from her shorts, and over her incredibly large, firm breasts. This meant that not only was her taut stomach exposed, but also her cleavage.

Aside from the brown Stetson she had on top of her head, she also had a thick leather belt around her waist, equipped with a pair of holsters and a pair of .36 caliber, Colt Navy Revolvers- one of which she was holding in her right hand and was casually twirling on her finger.

After spinning the cylinder of the old handgun and checking to see that it was loaded, the scantily dressed female then spun her pistol one last time, before catching it in a firm grip, and using the end of the barrel to tip the wide brim of her hunting hat up. Doing so revealed a very striking and beguiling face underneath, which was framed by sharp eyes, a beauty mark under her lips, and a wide, cocky grin.

"Looks like I've got a second chance to blow off some steam and have a good time," the tanned woman spoke, before then craning her head towards the person standing in the clearing beside her.

This individual of course- though one hundred percent human in appearance- was absolutely gigantic. Covered from neck to toe in rippling muscles, with a head of long, wavy blond hair, and wearing a metal, armored suit that resembled some sort of ancient, S&M prison uniform that was fixed tightly to his body via a series of overlapping cuffs and braces, it should also be noted that the pale individual's head exactly level with the woman who was perched in the tree. Despite the fact that the female gunslinger was at least a full story above the ground, the man was still able to speak face-to-face with her.

Although… speaking was sort of subjective for this particular giant, who had pretty much remained silent for the majority of their conversations.

Upon noticing the man's shadowed face and eyes looking back at her intently, the unfazed beauty smiled at him. "So… are you up for a little adventure, Spartacus-san?" When she heard the juggernaut next to her grunt through his rather menacing grin and manic gaze, the brown-haired bandit of a woman giggled before promptly hopping to her feet. "Alright then. Let's go grail hunting."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	3. Academy Arc - Spirits from the Past

**Author's Note:** I recently got inspiration from _Fate/Grand Order- Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia_ , and hence decided to post this chapter before the one I was writing, just to set the stage for things to come.

Sorry for my spotty updates. I'm currently working on a Gohan X Zangya dojin that's keeping me busy on my paetreon. If anyone is interested, come check out my work.

* * *

 **NARUTO**

 _ **Grand Order**_

 _Spirits from the Past_

OOO

" _History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside." - John F. Kennedy_

OOO

(At the same time)

(Sunagakure)

For the son of the Fourth Kazekage and the youngest in a family of three siblings, Gaara, sleep for him had become a far and forgotten concept. Since the earliest days he could remember, every time the child had attempted to get even the tiniest amount of shuteye, the high-pitched, shrill voice of a ghostly force and the visage of a horrifying monster of ungodly size, would continuously and without fail, rouse him from his slumber and fill his once pleasant thoughts with images of bloody carnage and murderous intent.

Once he realized that he would find no peace in his dreams, the child had resolved to keep himself awake for all hours- day and night- a feat that was made possible due to the training given to him by his uncle, and the revitalizing, enormous well of energy he was blessed with. Though the youngster of seven years age, bearing the pale skin of his mother, the spiky hair of his father, and the black, ringed gaze indicative of the burden of constant vigilance he shouldered with him wherever he went, found it a trying task at the beginning, he quickly managed to grasp the concept of perpetual attentiveness.

Soon, going on for days and even weeks without any shuteye became as natural as breathing.

Still… even with this glorious skill of being able to retain his sense of self and consciousness without breaking a sweat, and was something very few humans could achieve, Gaara still had to live with the heavy, spirit hazing weight of being completely and utterly alone.

Just like his whiskered counterpart over in _Konohagakure_ \- whom he had no knowledge or awareness of- the child with the reddish tint in his hair went about his days with very little human contact. All the people in his village, from the members of his family, to his neighbors, to the children who went to the academy with him- everyone went out of their way to avoid speaking to him or addressing him in any way. Hell, most of the people that passed Gaara on the streets avoided making direct eye connections with him, to the point that they wouldn't acknowledge the boy with worded responses to inquiries or remarks made by him.

Though shy and ignorant of the many ways of the world- he was still as pleasant and innocent as any other kindhearted young man his age would be- even in the face of his odd physical traits and irregular behaviors.

As a result, not only did Gaara feel completely isolated during the day, he felt especially isolated and lonely at night- especially since there were very few people wandering about the grainy streets of the sand bowl that was known as _Sunagakure_ (Village Hidden in the Sand) _._ Though the biting chill of the night and the lack of any places of open entertainment was one thing, it was also the fact that all the villagers functioned during daylight hours that was the real kicker here.

This reality hammered itself home in Gaara's head as the son of the Kazekage shuffled down another wide, empty road- the doors and windows of the surrounding cafes and stores closed and locked up, preventing anyone from gaining access to them. The child felt a very uncomfortable chill rush over his body when he walked past several locked doors and barred windows- with one barrier in particular giving him a moment of pause.

Though many of the signs over the store fronts read 'CLOSED' or 'SHUT' in various, creative ways, one of the pictures over the door beside him showed a cartoonish drawing of him on it, which also read underneath- 'this one not permitted.' It was a crude sketch, but one that bore all the traits and features that resembled Gaara, who couldn't help but stare at the image for several minutes in a saddened and defeated manner.

Feeling his heart pinch a little in hurt, the boy in the khaki poncho and scarf lowered his head and slinked along, trying his best to ignore the shadows dancing around him. Though he knew full well that nothing would be able to hurt him, the darkness of the alleys and the quiet of the surrounding streets still spooked him to a certain degree- a fact that became apparent when he jumped at the sound of a distant, metal trash can rattling violently from some small rodent jumping off of it.

" _Why do they hate me so much?"_ Gaara thought, in a tone and manner like the one uttered by the child from their allied village across the continent. _"Why do they loath me?"_

These questions permeated his head as he shuffled his way to one of the village's few parks in the area. Perching himself on the wooden seat of the swing, the boy then allowed his weight to rest against the equipment piece as he unconsciously began to sway back and forth. After a few moments of pondering over the same mystery that'd been plaguing him for all these years, the red-headed child then looked down at his hand and analyzed it for several moments.

Frowning, the child then reached over and picked up a sharp stone lying on the sand. When he clenched it in his left hand and took aim at the back of his right hand, Gaara then decided to put the blade to the test. With a grunt, he thrust the rock towards his flesh, only to watch expectantly as a layer of sand suddenly rushed up from the ground and formed a tiny cloud over his palm- shielding him from the rock when it attempted to bury into his flesh.

Feeling his arm get yanked back from the recoil, Gaara narrowed his eyes before trying again. Then again. Then again. After several, passionless attempts to try and carve a mark into his flesh, the boy with black rings around his eyes felt his face tighten before yanking away the rock from the tiny cloud of sand that kept his arm away from harm. Upon which the child then dropped his arms in defeat and allowed the sharp rock to fall from his hand.

"Is this what my destiny is? My fate?" he whispered to himself, a look of sadness glistening in his eyes as the full weight of what he was feeling finally started to affect his mind. "To have everything and everyone pushed away from me? To be left completely alone… forever?"

It was a grim thought, one that carried the fear and sorrow of a child who had no idea what to do, where to go, or who to turn to.

If his own siblings, even his own father- the leader of their village and the strongest shinobi around- refused to help him and comfort him… then who could?

For the next few minutes Gaara sat there, overwhelmed by the idea that his luck and lot in this world would never change.

However, just as he was losing himself in his grief, a gust of wind in the air suddenly carried with it a voice- one that had his ears twitch and his head perk up.

"Greetings there, little one."

Huh? Who was that? That certainly wasn't a dialect or accent he'd ever heard before.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?"

The voice… it wasn't the haunting whispers or high-pitched screeches of an angry, vengeful beast dwelling in the very depths of his mind. No. Far from it.

"Are you alone?"

It was the voice of a woman… one who he had never heard or received before. And what's more… it sounded like it was coming from right in front of him.

Spying a glow of blue light creeping up his feet and legs from where they dangled, a startled Gaara quickly looked up. When he did, he immediately spied the blue, fading embers of a circle of flames that'd erupted on the ground of the playground just a few feet in front of him. As they burned and faded away, they revealed the glowing, beguiling, and curvaceous form of a bronze-skinned angel- a beauty of dark skin and long, purple hair that grew down to her ankles and seemed to fan out around her body like the neck of a cobra. What's more, aside from having two lengths of hair dangling on either side of her face like a pair of pigtails, framing her purple eyes and marked cheeks, the woman also wore a very revealing set of clothing- consisting of a white, thin fabric top and bottoms- with golden jewelry crisscrossing her figure, an elaborate necklace, golden earrings, and banded leather sandals.

However, the most striking feature on her person, was the pair of very Anubis-like ears protruding from the top of her head. It was this last trait that momentarily distracted Gaara- and not the fact that the woman was essentially wearing only a bikini and jewels.

Smiling when she saw the red-headed child gazing up at her with an open mouth, the woman with purple hair giggled and bowed. "Good evening."

Completely stumped by the person appearing before him, the ring eyed Gaara balked. "W-Who are you?"

The mysterious woman giggled. "Oh? So, you _can_ understand me. That's good. And just when I was thinking I'd been summoned as an invisible spirit. Woo. That would've been bad. I hope I didn't scare you," she answered, her hands remaining locked behind her back in a curious manner as she straightened up and smiled proudly. "Did I?" When she saw Gaara shake his head, the dog-eared woman decided that was her cue and promptly introduced herself. "Good, because that would be unbecoming of me. I am the great Pharaoh Nitocris: _Empress_ , _Queen of the Nile, Protector of the Throne, Ruler of the Sixth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt_ , and warrior of the Caster class." She then winked down at the boy as he continued to gaze up at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my master."

OOO

(Meanwhile)

(Kumogakure)

"I gotta say, friend… you got a good beat, but you ain't got the meat! If you wanna impress this O-P ninja freak, then bring on the heat!" the brisk, energetic tones of the famed jinchuriki of _Kumogakure_ rang out across the mountains- reverberating off the walls and ruffling the surrounding bushes. "OH YEAH!"

As the muscular, dark-skinned shinobi in white armor and baggy pants sat cross-legged atop a rock beneath his favorite waterfall, the warrior in shades then swung his arms about and thrust them in front of him in a practice pose. After a couple of attempts, the man pushed his lips together, before then slamming his hands onto his knees and peering down at the notebook he had open on the floor in front of him.

"Hmm… that was a pretty solid line. I'm writing it down," the man said, picking up his pen and beginning to scribble across the page as fast as he could. "Hm. Yeah. This stuff is gold."

After making that comment, a voice in the back of the tattooed man's head echoed out in a deadpanned manner.

" _ **If you say so. Though… don't you think the word**_ _freak_ _ **is a little bit disparaging?"**_

Hearing the query of what an ordinary person would assume to be his conscience, the ever-enthusiastic B felt a smirk tug at his lips before he promptly thrust his hand forward in a jab. "Hey, intimidating fight banter is good fight banter. The more insulting the better. What more do you want, eight?"

The voice let out a light groan. _**"I meant to**_ _you_ _ **. Disparaging for**_ _you_ _ **."**_

B let out a laugh and threw his hand in front of him. "Oh, come on, man. You've known me for how long and you still don't know? I AM a freak! The freakiest guy across all of Kumo!" He then struck another pose on the rock while framing one side of his face with an open palm and pointing across the open lake in front of him with the other. "I make the men cry and the ladies swoon! That's how the B-train rolls, so make some room! Yo!"

Were B looking within his subconsciousness at that very moment, he would've seen the horned, long-snouted form of his purple tenant- the great and powerful Eight-Tailed Ox- Gyuki- give a dead-fish stare as a sweat drop appeared on his forehead. _**"Ugh… why do I try to get involved with you during brainstorming hour?"**_ Allowing a moment to pass as his friend continued to flex and pose, the giant ox then cocked his head. _**"Hey, here's an idea. How about you go out to town and ask a girl out on a date? Maybe you could take her to a bar or a nightclub, get a few drinks going, and- I don't know- get laid? Procreate. Something that you humans usually do. Maybe it'll help clear your head."**_

And heck, while he was at it, perhaps the biju would be able to get a kick out of watching B trying and failing repeatedly to woo the women with his chapters upon chapters of hilarious pick-up lines he'd been working on in his free time. Whether the rhymes he was able to come up with were good or not remained to be seen, and Gyuki had just been waiting forever for the guy to give them a test run- all for the hilarious moment of being able to watch his friend get a glass of sake thrown in his face.

At that, B placed his finger and thumb to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. "Hmm… y'know… that ain't such a bad idea…"

Unfortunately, the jinchuriki of the eight-tails couldn't get any beyond that remark. Because the second he finished, there was a blinding flash of blue light, followed by a deafening thunderclap as red bolts of lightning unexpectedly shot out of the lake. The waters at the foot of the falls and the space directly in front of B's platform churned and twisted, as they were suddenly overcome by an otherworldly, overpowering force that caused the area before the jinchuriki to warp and vibrate.

As the Jonin quickly slapped a hand down on his notebook to stop it blowing away- as well as to prevent the waves of water splashing about from getting his prized journal soaked- the dark-skinned shinobi watched with a slack jaw as the spinning vortex of blue flames and red lightning erupted before him. Moments later, after a wall of steam and smoke blasted out of the spinning water's surface, B and his tenant then watched as a silhouette slowly emerged from the mist.

The clicking and clattering of metal rang out as the figure, who was kneeling on the water's surface, rose up to stand in the shallow pool. When the plume fully dissipated and B managed to get a good look of the figure now standing before him, the man saw to his surprise a short, metallic figure, covered from head to toe in shining, silver armor decorated with red markings, and shouldering a helmet accentuated by a pair of broad, demonic-like horns. Aside from the odd appearance of the armor plating, which didn't match any suits the jinchuriki remembered ever laying eyes on, the figure was also shouldering a massive broad sword of a fearsome, matching design.

B blinked when he looked the small figure up and down. "Uhh… yo?" the man greeted in a rather confused manner. "Where the heck did you come from, sparky?"

Suddenly, there was a loud clacking noise as the knight's helmet opened and began disassembling itself from its host. One section at a time the protective headpiece fell away, sliding down the knight's shoulders and fitting itself to random parts of her chassis. Once the helmet had been completely collapsed, it revealed a golden-haired lass with hair tied into a ponytail and bearing a striking pair of green eyes on her pretty face.

Swinging her sword in front of her, the woman then slammed it down into the shallow water and caused the lake to part sharply- the waves splashing over the shore and leaving the area around her temporarily dry.

"I am Mordred, the one and true heir of Arthur Pendragon!" the woman blurted out in a firm and gutsy voice, one that caused B and his partner Gyuki to blink in surprise. When she saw the stumped look on the big man's face, a grin quickly tugged at the girl's lips. "So, big guy… tell me… are you my master?!"

OOO

(Elsewhere)

One after the other, strangers of various shapes, sizes, genders, and races began popping up in various locations across the known globe.

Some appeared in villages in front of people. Others appeared in isolated locations. Some even appeared in pairs or groups- mostly out of reach of civilization. And others certainly appeared, but they appeared in a state of hibernation. Whether it was the will of some divine force or the work of a group of people it was unknown. However, what was quickly becoming apparent was that these weren't isolated incidents- nor were they consistent.

As the minutes of the night on Earth ticked by, more and more of these foreign visitors started to emerge from out of the blue- encroaching upon the earth and quickly making impacts wherever they touched down.

Though most of these events took place in and around the _Elemental Nations_ , there were a couple of anomalies that occurred far out of reach and sight of the first summoning. Though the main singularity had appeared directly over _Konohagakure_ , there were a handful of other events that took place in several, separate locations not known to the people of the ninja continent.

Across the vast, open ocean, on a continent beyond the influence of the shinobi and daimyo, a young orphan boy with blonde hair and green eyes named Temujin, could be found trudging across the muddy, damp terrain of his war-ridden homeland. Covered in a dirty, hooded cloak and carrying on his back whatever he was able to retrieve from his destroyed home, the young man in a tunic and boots- overcome by the chill of the winter's day gripping his body- shivered as he trudged through the frosted earth in an effort to reach the next town.

So far, he'd been traveling for several days. Hungry. Disoriented. Exhausted. And alone. And in that time, the boy had not once come across another person or another populated place. The village that he had left behind- his home- had been one of the only ones in the area supporting a civilization and was way out of reach of any capitals, military outposts, or other places of significance.

That was probably what made it such an easy target for the band of murderous marauders that'd swept through and wiped out his clan.

Gritting his teeth as his bare hands rubbed his arms under his dirty robe, Temujin kept on stumbling and marching along- his feet sinking through the mud up to his shins. With every step he took, he heaved more clumps of mud and snow with him, which weighed him down and made every movement he attempted a struggle. Even keeping his balance as he stood in place was starting to become a test of his strength and endurance.

Puffs of hot air left Temujin's mouth as he paused for a moment to check how much further along the road he had to go. When he looked up and saw the road cutting across the valley stretch far into the distance- through the snow and toward a forest of trees- the boy allowed a sigh of frustration to leave his lips. Weakly and shakily, he took another step, only to fall forward and hit the ground with a loud grunt.

He cursed himself when his hands slammed into the muddy, ice-cold earth, which was then followed by a growl through clenched teeth. "It's… It's not fair!" the boy shouted, huffing a few times as he quickly fought back tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "It's not fair! It's not fair! Why… why did this have to happen to me?! Why…? My mum… my dad…"

Feelings of loss, grief, rage, anger, frustration, and misery swirled around inside his head in a seemingly infinite loop, which in turn caused his chest to tighten painfully. The true depth of what he was feeling was so intense and so searing that it was almost indescribable. As such, the boy couldn't decide whether he wanted to howl with rage or burst out crying. For what reason he also couldn't decide.

His sadness at losing his parents. His grief at losing his whole clan and being its only survivor. His rage at the people who did this to him.

Or… perhaps it wasn't any of that.

Perhaps it was anger at his inability to do anything. His powerlessness and fear that he'd felt when confronted by the murderers who took everything away from him?

It was infuriating- to the point that Temujin couldn't properly comprehend or put into words.

Clenching the mud and snow at his hands, the boy raised his arm back and loaded it, before punching the ground. "Damn it!" the youngster cried out, sobbing again as he gripped the ground upon which he was kneeling, and upon which his trousers were now becoming sodden from melting ice. "I… I hate them… I hate… them…" Initially shutting his eyes, Temujin then opened them- looking through a blurred, hazy gaze as his tears rolled down his cheeks and fell to the floor. "I… I wish… I could've done something…"

Now, more than anything, he wanted to go back. To turn back time and undo what had happened. To fix what had been broken. To restore what had been lost. To bring back those who he'd watched die. But no matter how hard he tried or wished; he knew that it was impossible.

Overcome by his helplessness, the boy remained where he was, wallowing in his anguish and pain. But then, just as his body succumbed to another bout of shakes and tears, a warm glow suddenly came over him.

Starting from his head and filling his face, Temujin felt his green eyes widen before his head looked up. When he did, he felt a blast of warmth rush over him when he saw the falling snow in front of him get blown away, and a figure suddenly appear before him.

Appearing like a phantom out of thin air and bathed in the rays of several beams of multi-colored light, the blonde boy found himself looking upon a figure of a young girl around her twenties. Chestnut skinned, short in stature, thin- yet incredibly fit and well-refined- and standing half naked in the snow, a woman with blood red eyes and white, veil-like hair under an actual white veil, stood tall before the kneeling, exhausted child. Wearing a very odd, alien-like set of lingerie, and her smooth skin covered in multiple war tattoos drawn in the form of multiple, symmetrical lines across her body, the female posed elegantly and ethereal against the backdrop of the western, winterly fields stretching far behind her.

What's more, propped beside her in the snow with her palm situated on top of its pommel, she carried a large, futuristic long sword, with an oddly designed guard, and a blade formed of tri-colored bands of light. It was quite an impressive weapon.

To the people back in her home world, this woman carried and bore the reputation of an extra-terrestrial, avatar of destruction. An _**Engine of War**_ and a _**King of Combat**_.

But to Temujin, she appeared to him like a saint from afar, one who in that moment, flashed him a curious yet unperturbed look.

"I am Altera…" she said simply and in a soft voice, before tilting her head down at the stunned youngster. "Are you… my master?"

Before Temujin could answer, the boy felt his eyes roll back as whatever strength he had left him. A split second later, the boy passed out- falling flat in the mud with a splat…

OOO

(And…)

(Across the Cosmos)

Billions of lightyears away from earth, amidst the dark, desolate, dimly lit valleys of a far-off and forgotten world overcome by death and famine, the three members of the mythical and relatively unknown branch of the Otsutsuki family- Momoshiki, Urashiki and Kinshiki- could be found lying amidst a series of enormous craters and scorched patches of ground. As the group of men dressed all in white and sporting horns of various sizes above their hairlines, clawed and struggled at the soil in an attempt to pull themselves back to their feet, the trio took a moment to contemplate how in the hell they'd ended up in such an unsightly and perilous situation.

There day had started off so well too- particularly for the leader of the group Momoshiki Otsutsuki. The proud heir of the parasitic Otsutsuki Clan had been enjoying a relaxing day on the planet he was currently using as a farm- standing atop his favorite cliff and enjoying the view of the dead, empty planet laid out before him, and bathed under the glow of the solar system's red sun. What's more, the silhouette of the one and only successful _**Shinju**_ they'd managed to cultivate on this rock stood tall and proud above the ruins of the ancient, alien civilization that once occupied this planet- piercing the sky like some glorious _Tower of Babble_.

It'd been a quiet and relatively uneventful morning, one in which Momoshiki had been hoping to use to meditate on matters of the clan and engage in sparse conversations with his two fellow Otsutsuki members- who'd just returned from a scouting mission to the outer reaches of the galaxy.

However, just as he was about to sit down and have Kinshiki fill him in on what he was able to discover, the group was suddenly and rudely interrupted by the appearance of what looked like a black hole appearing in the sky. The enormous singularity bled out of the atmosphere in an instant- parting the clouds and causing all the light to distort around it, forming a wheel of shimmering radiance in what was otherwise a cold and empty space.

Before the trio could assess the anomaly and investigate where it came from- _they_ appeared.

Without warning, the three Otsutsuki members were assailed by a trio of figures that came dropping out of the sky. A brief fight erupted, in which the three self-proclaimed Gods and world conquerors attempted to fend off the newcomers, resulting in much of the surrounding area becoming enveloped in multiple explosions of light and combusting energy. They managed to put up a worthy defense. But seconds after the battle started, the three clan members were quickly overwhelmed and beaten down by the invaders.

No. 'Beaten down' is a bit of an understatement in this case. They got absolutely destroyed. The speed at which they were attacked and the storm of blows that rained down on them not only battered the beefy and overwise invincible Otsutsuki members, it wrecked them beyond imagining. As a result, the three Otsutsuki- their robes torn, shredded and ripped in multiple places, and bodies covered in multiple burns, bruises and- oddly enough- patches of stone- found themselves lying at the bottom of a crater, in which they'd ended up in after getting hit by a blast that transformed the entire region into a smoldering plate of glass.

As Momoshiki pushed himself onto his hands and struggled to gaze up towards the rim of the crater, the man with the Byakugan eyes suddenly spotted the three shadows of the figures that'd attacked him and his kin. Through a blurred gaze and bloody teeth, the pale-skinned alien gasped as he saw the glowing, red eyes of the individuals from afar. The shiver that went rushing down his spine as he saw their glares focused on him made it feel as though they were gazing into his very soul.

"W-Who… are you… people…?" Momoshiki gasped, his bloodied hand scraping the earth beneath him as he dug his fingernails into the scorched dirt. With the way his body was still simmering from the multiple, charred wounds on his body, all the man could do was speak in hoarse whispers. "Why… are you… attacking us…?"

The three creatures stood tall and proud over the defeated Otsutsuki like behemoths. This was literally the case for the individual in the middle- a towering, serpent woman whose weight, girth and body matched the size of an entire town, possessing the top half of a gorgeous, purple haired woman, and the lower body of a snake. She also had multiple, glowing serpent heads writhing about her human half, and a hair of golden, feathered wings fanned out behind her.

The second of the trio was a person who was hovering in the air alongside the gigantic serpent- an effeminate looking male with long green hair, wearing a white robe that fluttered in the breeze, and a weighted black rope of some kind with a spear tip dangling from it.

The third and final member of the group was another young woman- slightly taller than the boy with green hair- only she appeared to have the most authority over them. She was a curvaceous, elegant young woman with long, silver hair that seemed to glitter in the dim light, and had her legs and arms covered by a form of scaled, spandex sleeves that also provided cover for her privates and chest- though there was very little left to the imagination. Aside from the gold embellishments and chains decorating her outfit and the glowing tattoo across her taut belly, the woman also had two, enormous horns, which grew to about half her size, curling out from the sides of her head. This gave her a very demonic, dragonoid appearance, and made her appear as intimidating and frightening as the gargantuan serpent behind her.

As for the answer the three had to give to the wounded Momoshiki, neither of them had any words left to share. Instead, after sensing the horned one glance in her direction, the enormous, multi-headed serpent focused all of her gazes upon the three wounded Otsutsuki and fired multiple reddish black blasts from her various heads. A loud hum of wind ripped across the landscape as the beams converged on the three Otsutsuki and enveloped them in a blast of dust and embers.

The impact was comparable to an artillery strike hitting the same location at once.

When the cloud of sand and dirty eventually dissipated, the silhouettes of Momoshiki, Urashiki and Kinshiki faded back into the light, with all three of them lying or kneeling at the bottom of the crater- their hands raised and attempting to shield themselves from the explosion. Though on first glance it looked as though they'd managed to survive the blast unscathed, on closer inspection it was revealed that all of them had been flash-frozen and transformed into stone.

The looks of abject horror and shock as they attempted to protect themselves from the serpent's attack was perfectly petrified across their faces.

As a couple of pieces and limbs eventually cracked and fell off of the trio of aliens, indicating that their forms had become instantaneously brittle with their transformation to lifeless rock, the three foreign demons responsible for their demise eventually shared glances with one another.

Grunting indignantly, the massive serpent then glanced across at the green haired male hovering beside her head. _**"What pests did we just exterminate?"**_

"Hmm…" the man responded in a soft voice, before chuckling in amusement moments later. "I'm not exactly sure. Whoever they were… they certainly didn't come from our universe. Nor were they using ordinary magic." He then rotated about and smiled up at the giant serpent. "Though they appeared human, my guess is that they were some sort of extraterrestrial lifeforms. Ones possessing cosmic-level abilities."

The serpent then narrowed her red eyes upon the statues now littering the crater before them. _**"We've been transported to another dimension… one far beyond the space and time curvature of our world."**_

"The Grail brought us here," the voice of the other woman spoke up, drawing the pair's attention down to her. When the serpent and her apparent informant fixed their attention on the horned female, they saw her gaze- though locked on the bodies below- was filled with great intensity. "It sent us to this place… to test us… to challenge us…"

Narrowing his eyes, the boy with green hair then glanced back down at the crater. After a moment of contemplation, a smile tugged at his lips. "Hmm… very well. If it's a challenge it desires, then I'm all for it. Given that the three of us were summoned to this location at the same time, I assume that the Grail wishes for us to work together."

A nod came from the giant serpent, who then cocked her head down and locked her gaze upon the horned female, who was also looking up at them. _**"What should we do first?"**_

The woman with the horns frowned. "These creatures we fought… they're obviously the dominant species in this realm… as well as the most dangerous. I say… we hunt down the rest of their kin… eliminate them… then locate the Grail." Her gaze intensified as she looked up at her two fellow compatriots. "I believe that is our test."

When the pair nodded, the boy with green hair then placed a hand over his chest and smiled. "If we're going to be working together, I believe introductions are in order. I am Enkidu, son of the God Anu and the Goddess Aruru."

While the giant serpent remained silent, the horned woman standing on the very edge of the crater lowered her head and spoke in a much deeper voice. "And I am Tiamat… demiurge deity of Ancient Mesopotamia. _Mother of the Earth_ … and the _Creator of all Demonic Beasts_."

Enkidu, blinking in momentary surprise, then felt a smile tug at his lips before bowing his head and placing a hand over his heart. "A denizen of my homeland… and one of the great creators no less. It is an honor to meet you." Peering up, he then chanced a glance towards the enormous serpent standing beside them. "And… _you_ …?"

The purple haired female turned her gaze towards the floating boy. _**"My true name is Medusa… the oldest of three sisters… and Queen of all Beasts past and present."**_

Cracking a deceptively warm smile, the hovering young man's eyes twinkled with mischief as he glanced between the two women before him. "I see we have some incredibly capable members amongst our troop." Following this remark, the man closed his eyes happily while giving a lighthearted and enthusiastic laugh. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **Author's Note:** Okay, before anyone starts dumping on the fact that the Otsutsuki were killed by the three above, let me cover a few points.

One- I absolutely hate the Otsutsuki and everything they stand for. Not only did they completely ruin the end of Naruto for me due to their existence and involvement in world events (which completely defeats the purpose of Naruto's growth), their strength was incredibly inconsistent with what they were built up to be in the series. E.g. Oh my God, Momoshiki can blow up entire planets with his Truth Seeking Orbs! How are the heroes possibly going to prevail against them?! Then, the next thing I know, not only is Kinshiki effectively beaten by a bunch of Kage, but Momoshiki is also pressed due to the heroes being able to exploit the fact that both of them can only absorb chakra through their hands. This unGodly force of nature and end game antagonist is wedged into a corner, because he's afraid to trade punches with humans? Seriously?

And then Boruto- the most fanfiction, BS character in the franchise, and a kid who isn't even a Chunin yet- comes in with a McGuffin-McGuffin to steal the killshot from his father and Sasuke- because we need something to jumpstart the Boruto franchise and plot, I guess.

No matter how much you try to argue the point and say the Otsutsuki are these threatening, world-ending disasters with ninja God abilities, from what I've seen on screen, I just don't see it. And I don't give two shits about any extended novels or the rest of the Boruto manga explaining otherwise. They were still beaten by a bunch of Kage and a child with a teleporting Rasengan of all things. WTF. And worse still, I recently heard that Naruto was sealed away by one of these guys, because we have to nerf the fact that Naruto is one of the strongest creatures on the planet now.

Two- the Otsutsuki are supposed to be Gods, or extra-terrestrial beings that suck the life out of planets by eating fruits from magical trees. There are Fate-Grand Order characters that are similar to this- being extra-terrestrial beings- and all of them are Gods too. But the Otsutsuki are based off of characters from Japanese folklore, or characters that are essentially from children's fairy tales. They have very little impact on civilization's development as a whole and were never revered as Gods in their own right. But they were popular during Kodomo no Hi and Tanabata.

So you know what the best solution is- have some actual mythological characters from Earth mythology come in and show these Otsutsuki twats how being a God is actually done, because I'm sick to death of Otsutsuki being the main final antagonists in every Naruto media.

Three- Gorgon alone would've been able to decimate the Otsutsuki, due to the fact that her gaze- by design- can petrify them just by looking at them. If we're going by actual mythology here, then just by simply glancing at her once would've gotten them killed. But hey, we need to have some balance, right?

Four- Otsutsuki abilities wouldn't be able to work on magical abilities or attacks based on magic. So if anyone thinks they can just absorb magic fired at them- magic that doesn't follow the same rules or chemistry as chakra- then that is incorrect. It's like saying one of the Peins could stop Goku's Kamehameha just by absorbing it, when in reality he would be decimated by it.


End file.
